Words alone cannot express how much I love these cheesy vegan savory scones, but I’ll attempt to convey my earnest adoration for them in a concise prose. Beautifully flakey, cheddary, herby and all-around both comforting and homey, these triangular turmeric scones rarely if ever last very long once out of the oven, as they’re quite astoundingly irresistible! They’re a perfectly puffy pastry to adorn the breakfast table, and go well with hearty soups and or brunch main courses, too.
“…but if there is one universal truth in the human experience, it is that a finely honed scone-eating palate does not just develop overnight.”
– Jennifer Lynn Barnes
How To Make: Cheddary Vegan Savory Scones
Here’s a video resource detailing the various steps required to make these excellent vegan savory scones. It isn’t really hard to do, but there are some tips and tricks that make it all the more easier.
Firstly, make sure that the vegan butter you use to cut into the flour has been chilled. The importance of a cold butter in a scone is paramount, because it ensures that the fatty oil will melt gradually while baking, and so you’ll have fluffy, unctuous layers in your bake, and thus a more voluminous scone overall.
Secondly, and related to the first tip, you want to bake these scones in a hot oven – 450 degrees Fahrenheit, to be exact. This will help the scone become crispy and flakey on the outside, whilst still fluffy and soft on the inside.
The Magic of Turmeric & Vegan Cheddar
I really love turmeric. It’s an earthy, hearty and unique spice that tends to dye whatever it touches into a beautiful yellow.
As you might be able to tell, turmeric is an essential addition to these vegan savory scones, aesthetically-speaking. Classic cheddar cheese has been widely marketed and popularized to be a cheese with a distinct yellow-orange color, even though that isn’t the natural pigment of the cheese itself. The cheese gets its color from additives and dyes, like saffron, carrot juice, ect. And so it makes sense that turmeric, with it’s beautifully vivid yellow-orangeness, can easily emulate cheddar in these vegan savory scones, coloring them that oh so iconic shade of yellow-orange that everyone seems to love.
And as to the flavor aspect of cheddar in these vegan savory scones, it’s nutritional yeast that conveys a delicious cheesy taste to this baked goodie, and really gives these scones a good hearty kick.
Also, if you’re a fan of the turmeric in these vegan savory scones, then check out my Turmeric, Ginger & Red Pepper Tofu Frittata, which also employs turmeric to emulate the yellow-orange eggy-ness.
“There’s always free cheddar in the mousetrap, baby.”
– Tom Waits
Scones vs. Biscuits?
Honestly, I’ve done a bit of research on the difference between a scone and a biscuit, and I think that it simply comes down to the intention behind the bake, rather than the specific ingredients within the baked goodie itself.
In a lot of biscuits, especially southern style, they use a heavy liquid base like buttermilk, as a way of creating that velvety, creamy fluff on the inside. Scones on the other hand, don’t typically call for that heavy a liquid, or at least don’t require it. These vegan savory scones, or biscuits or whatever you want to call them, have a liquid base of soy milk + lemon juice, which is basically the vegan version of buttermilk. The lemon juice essentially curdles the soy milk and thickens it a bit, and thus creates a similar base to that of southern style biscuits.
“Soy milk + lemon juice…is basically the vegan version of buttermilk.”
Furthermore, overtime scones became typically more sweet than savory, and would often have the addition of white sugar, or some kind of sweet element. These have no added sugar, so they don’t uphold that particular quality of scones, but they are a more typical triangular scone shape.
Be they scones, be they biscuits, whatever they be, these are delectable and fluffy triangles of goodness that you simply must make. Plus, I don’t think most people won’t care what they are or what you call them, as long as they’re delicious.
“I worship scones and danishes. If I never had another meal, I wouldn’t care as long as I could eat pastries and jelly doughnuts.”
– Gene Simmons
Vegan Savory Scones: Cheddary Turmeric
Overall, I would heartily recommend these delicious vegan savory scones to anyone; they can be made in less than 30 minutes, look beautiful on a table, and are amazingly satisfying to eat, especially fresh out of the oven with a little vegan butter. Moreover, the combination of ground turmeric, nutritional yeast and dried thyme is an astoundingly savory, cheesy kick that tantalizes the tastebuds and alludes to that irresistible and familiar cheddary bliss.
“Each spice has a special day to it. For turmeric it is Sunday, when light drips fat and butter-colored into the bins to be soaked up glowing…”
– Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
Did you enjoy this vegan savory scone recipe? Consider leaving a comment and recipe rating before you go!
Cheddary Turmeric Scones
Equipment
- Baking Sheet
- Silicon Baking Mat or Parchment Paper
- Oven
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1¼ teaspoon ground tumeric
- ½ cup vegan butter, chilled
- ⅔ cup soy milk, plus an additional 1 – 2 tablespoons of soy milk if the batter is dry
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- Extra vegan butter like Earth Balance
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F, and prepare a baking sheet lined with a silicon baking mat or parchment paper.
- Combine the flour, baking powder, cream of tartar, ground turmeric, garlic powder, salt, nutritional yeast and dried thyme in a large mixing bowl. Once the oven is nearly pre-heated, cut the cold vegan butter into the ingredients using a pastry cutter or a fork until you have a fine, pebbly consistency.
- After that, make a well in the center, and pour the soy milk and lemon juice into the center of it. Fold the ingredients together just until the dough becomes cohesive. Add 1 to 2 more tablespoons of soy milk to achieve this if need be.
- Transfer the dough to the lined baking sheet, and then form it into an oval shape around 1 to 2 inches thick. Cut the oval in half lengthwise, and then cut each half into 6 triangular scones – should make about 12 small scones total.
- Plop the scones on the baking mat and bake for 12 minutes. Eat straight out of the oven with a little vegan butter!
Video
Nutrition
Also, check out this category, Vegan Scones, for more delicious scone ideas.
May you have good food in good company,
That Vegan Nephew
These are not only good,, but beautiful. These were a treat hot out of the oven with a cup of tea.
Making these now– what can I substitue for THYME?
Hi Adrianna – probably another herb, like dried chives (you can add this 1:1 substitute) or dried rosemary (don’t add too much rosemary though – maybe like 1/4 or 1/2 teaspoon). You can also just leave it out, and it should still turn out okay. Let me know how it goes for you!
I would love to give this savory scone recipe of yours a try. Could I replace the all purpose flour with rice flour perhaps as I am trying to avoid wheat flour currently? I am really craving a nice light plant based scone & a nice cup of english breakfast tea for breakfast!
Hi Bree,
I’ve never tried rice flour for this recipe. Instead, I would use a gluten-free flour mix. Let me know how it goes if you try it though!